Walking Through Ephesians 1

Ephesians 1: The Apostle’s Greeting and the Blessings in Christ

So that's a guaranteed way to keep the prayer request down, is to have a substitute teacher in. All right, so we're going to be looking at Ephesians chapter 1 verses 15 through 23. But it's been so long since I had the last had the opportunity to share from this epistle of Paul's.

I want to I want to read the whole chapter and just take a couple of minutes. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 1. Your page is turning. Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God to the saints which are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.

Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself. According to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace. Wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved in whom we have redemption through his blood.

The forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace wherein he hath abounded to. Toward us in all wisdom and prudence having made known unto us the mystery of his will. According to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself.

That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ. Both which are in heaven and which are on earth. Even in him in whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated.

According to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. That we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ in Whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation.

In whom also that after that ye believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory wherefore I also after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the Lord Jesus in whom and Unto I'm sorry Lord Jesus and love unto all the Saints.

Cease not to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers for the Lord for the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of Glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that ye may know. What is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance and the Saints and what is the exceeding? Greatness of his power to us word who believe according to the working of his mighty power Which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is Named not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.

And that and hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head Over all things to the church, which is his body the fullness of him that filleth all in all let's pray Holy Father we pray this we open your word that you would open our hearts to receive it.

We pray that you would bless this time. We pray that you would use this time to Strengthen us in our faith and to help us love you more and help us to know you more and whom to know is to Love for it's in Christ name.

We pray amen. So what I want to do is briefly as I can Seeing how rich the prior verses had been up before fifth verse 15 through 23 I want to try and bring us up to speed the city of Ephesus was in what we understand is modern-day Turkey, and if you were in Corinth and You booked passage You came straight on across 200 miles You would find yourselves about a mile shy of where you want to be.

Ephesus was a Mile off the coast and It was a massive city for its time weighing in and with about 250 to 300 thousand people and.

It.

Was a prominent trade route that it ran through it as well as it had the largest Banking its institution of its time. So it made it to be this this massive hub for commerce. This all along with the fact that the location was one of the Seven wonders of the ancient world.

There was the temple of Artemis or you might be more familiar with the temple of Diana as she's known in the book of Acts and This temple was a huge Huge building so so so large that if you've ever been to Greece or you've ever Watched a TV show about Greece or read a book about Greece.

You saw the Parthenon, you know, it sits up on the run on the Acropolis there. So you got this huge hill and on top of that. This is huge building Parthenon you pick the Parthenon up and you stick it inside.

The temple of Diana it seated some 50 ,000 people People who came as pilgrims to worship this false goddess. Which made even more revenue for the local businessmen. Now Paul Only stopped there briefly on his second missionary journey, but then he pushed on to Jerusalem.

However on his next journey He would remain there nearly three years. During which time he had a great influence on the people who were there so much so that the local tradesmen seeing a decrease in their trinket trade and And with a somewhat of a genuine concern that Diana's greatness was being destroyed.

They staged a riot Causing him to leave there and never return. His last contact with the leaders of the churches there would take place in Miletus right here about 35 miles south of Ephesus. You know Paul Wrote this letter during his imprisonment in Rome between 60 and 64 AD and there are several Greek manuscripts that That do not include there in verse 1 at Ephesus which leads Many scholars to believe that the letter was not intended solely for the the city of Ephesus.

But it was in intended to be copied there and then widely distributed to the churches in the surrounding area. And this brought this thought being supported by the omission of after nearly three years there's no personal or Specific greetings as was Paul's custom and in the other letters Save for Tychicus or if you want to call him Tychicus.

And he's the guy who's delivering the letter. So the first half of the letter or the first three chapters was made up strictly of Indicatives indicatives are facts or steadfast truths. And in this case, they're indicatives about God.

The last half of the book is loaded with imperatives. And those are authoritative commands. And in this case to the people of God. So in the beginning there again in verse 1 Paul nails down His authority as an apostle because This came under Distress, I guess people were always trying to to say that he was not an apostle because he was called later.

So he right out of the chute. In verse 1 he he puts that to rest and then in verse 3 we see as he Instructs his readers to bless God the word there is eulogos and it's where we get the word eulogy and it means to speak well of and.

So.

This.

Blessedness that we have. For God He has blessed us and so we bless him but the blessings that we have are not To be confused with some type of heavenly 401k package containing Forgiveness and new life and hope and so on because in reality What we receive is Christ himself.

We are united to him we are filled with his spirit such that all that he has achieved for us has become ours. Blessings. Verse 4 and on tells us Such as election and adoption and redemption Sanctification forgiveness wisdom prudence making known the mystery of his will.

So Down and jumping down to The beginning of verse 9 having made known unto us the mystery of his will.

So.

What does he mean by the mystery of his will it's a mystery is it's not. It's he's not talking of some puzzle that still needs to be solved. But more a secret. That can only be known when God reveals it.

When I separated from the Air Force For a little over a year. I worked as an for an electrical contractor wiring commercial buildings. And one of these buildings was a large church over in Arlington and the entire building Was surrounded inside and out with scaffolding.

I mean more scaffolding than I'd ever seen on a job site and it was built out by an older man and his adult son and The scary thing about that is the the older man I'm older than he he was. Look back and say man.

I thought he was old and now I'm older anyway. You could get somewhat of an idea of what was behind it, but not until the whole thing came down. Completely did we see what the builder? Really had in mind all along and and that's the way it is with the Old Testament.

The Old Testament times God's Word had traced out a pattern of his single-minded purpose. It was hidden in his heart and mind and yet there were Slight glimpses all along the way such that the Old Testament was similar to that scaffolding.

It was temporary like scaffolding. And yet it bore the shape of what he had been planning throughout eternity such that when when Christ came He had fulfilled its purpose. It could be dismantled Revealing fully the mystery of what was behind it and we see that mystery Was shaped like Christ all along and his coming and that was God's plan all along and Paul He it appears to me that he loved To think about God's hidden plan as a mystery.

And the reason I say that is if you read through it's just six chapter six Chapters the book of Ephesians you'll find out that he uses this word mystery seven times in just this short epistle. So again all these things We listed there.

All.

Verse four continues are according the first word there in first four according as now the ESV reads even and here that that really Loses the meaning in the text. The ESV is not not foreign to.

This.

Word and Philippians 419 the ESV does use it and we can see the difference that it makes the 419 if Philippians says but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

So this word according Speaks of it of a supply that's not out of as if God had this big jar of supply and we come to him with our needs and he reaches in there and he gets and he Hands it to us and now his jar Is less has less in it than when we came for the next needy person that comes along.

That's not that's not true at all the Greek word used in both our texts there is the word katah and what has more to do with is in relation to or proportion to such that God's supply is infinite because He is overflowing He is infinite.

So we read according read verse. Verse 4 it says according as he hath chosen us in him Before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Verse 9 jump down there having made known unto us the mystery of his will.

According to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself verse 11 In whom we and whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestined predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will verse 19 and What is the exceeding greatness of his power to us word who believe according to the working of his mighty?

Power all this and what he says After the counsel of his own will and all to what verse 6 says. It's to the praise of the glory of his grace. And if we didn't get it there verse 12 that we should be Should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ.

Verse 14 which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchase possession unto the praise of his glory. It's it's interesting to note that this whole long single run-on Sentence or paragraph up to verse 12.

Paul has been speaking of the Christians in the first person plural he uses the words us and we. And he does it in every verse from verse 3 to 12 except for verse 10. Verse 3 says blessed be the God and father of a Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings verse 4 according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we Should be holy and without blame before him in love.

Verse 5 having predestinated us unto the redemption the adoption of children.

Mm-hmm.

Verse 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us Accepted in the beloved. In verse 7 in whom we have redemption. Verse 8 wherein He hath abounded to us word. Verse 9 making having made known unto us the mystery of his will.

Of his will 10 didn't have it 11 in whom. Also, we have obtained an inheritance verse 12 that we should be to the praise of his glory. Who first Trusted in Christ. And it's only until we get to verse 13 That we see Clearly How how he qualifies this this we and the ye.

Look at verse 13. Now we've been we and us up to this point and then he shifts gears right here. In whom Ye also trusted. After that ye heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation. In whom also that ye believed Ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

So at first glance you say well, he's he's just probably talking. Chronologically, you know in order We trusted first. Now ye also trusted. But as we continue into this letter We find that he distinguishes it more and more between the the us the you and the us.

So.

What is the distinction between the two? Well, there's actually two but one of them is is ethnic. Paul is is Part of the us or we he's part of the Jews. Whereas the Ephesians or more broadly the Gentiles are the you look across your page or maybe you need to flip a page in the chapter 2 verse 11.

And we get a clearer picture. Wherefore remember that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision circumcision in the flesh made by hands.

So the good news For us is that just in mentioning the distinction? between the two in verse 13 We also see the difference has been overcome in Christ. He says ye also trusted. We're the ye. We're the Gentiles the converted Gentiles after that ye heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation in whom app also after ye believed.

So in Christ. The Jewish and the Gentile believers all of us share the same privileges. So I suppose you could say based on Romans 1 16 That the we and the ye were both chronological and ethnic at the same time.

For Romans 1 16 says for I'm not ashamed of the gospel for this the power of God unto salvation. To everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek. And because of all this Paul had heard of the faith in Jesus of these Christians Coupled along with their love for the Saints.

And what does it do. But it prompts him to do something regularly it prompts them to pray. He says wherefore verse 15. Wherefore I Also after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and love unto all the Saints.

Cease not to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers that the God of Your Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of him.

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened so he beseeches the Lord. That he would bless them with spirit a spirit of wisdom and illumination. And as I said Paul's prayer is so general that it could be used in any age or place by any Christian.

In his petitions are for these three things that they would learn the hope of God's calling. They would learn the riches of the glory of his inheritance and the Saints and lastly What is the exceeding greatness of his power towards us who believe and so addressing the first.

Concerning the hope of his calling. This hope that he's speaking of here in the middle of verse 18. That's not to be confused with. With wishful thinking. My middle son got married this this past Sunday.

And if you saw a weather map of Florida. He you know, so it's not just Tampa. It's not just the Gulf Coast. Not the just the Atlantic Coast all of Florida. They hoped that it wasn't going to rain.

But.

It poured. No pictures outside. No ceremony outside. Everything's moved inside.

Or.

You say I hope that I'll do good on this test or I hope I'll get this promotion. This is a different kind of hope. This is a hope that is it's an assurance of the reality of what we Haven't fully experienced.

It is a confident expectation of what God has promised and thankfully Its strength does not depend on us, but it is grounded in his faithfulness and we can be sure of this. Because the love of God has already been poured out into our hearts in the person of the Holy Spirit.

Paul stated this way in Romans 5 5 and Hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. And what we don't want to miss is it is the hope of his calling.

He took the initiative in our salvation. There are two Calls that go out. There's the general call of the gospel that goes out to all people. Jesus used the word in a sense when he said Many are called but few are chosen.

In Matthew 22 14 and this invitation goes out to everyone. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved at 1631. But we know at least I know So many people who ignore this invitation or make up excuses for why they won't respond.

But then there's the effectual call and that's a call that always accomplishes God's purpose of saving his chosen people. Paul writes in Romans 8 30 and These whom he predestined he also called and whom he called he also Justified and these whom he justified he also glorified.

And we can be assured of the sequence of this. Because it's in God's Word and he proclaims it and it does not change. Charles Spurgeon compared the general call to the effectual call. In this way, he said that the general call was like if you've ever been out on a warm Summer evening and you saw that heat lightning.

It lights up the sky, but doesn't ever seem to hit anything.

He said that's what.

The general call was like Whereas the effectual call was like a lightning bolt. It always connects and It is this effectual call of God That actually saves the one who's called. The question is why is it the Paul holds?

Holds hope up is such a priority To which he was called and now he prays for his friends. It's it's is it just a coincidence that he puts it at the head of his list we need to think about it this way.

How we live as Christians is In large part determined by how we think about the future good or bad is. This is the case. Think people who. People who. They prepare for a job. They go to school. Their hope is fixed on it.

That's that's a good way to on the bad side. What drives people to. To kill it. To kill themselves or kill other people. Aside from some other things obviously I Would say that it was because they are they haven't have no hope.

But in reference to our text we could say that the purpose behind God's revelation About the future given to us in his word is that it would change the way we live today. And again Paul was not the first to teach in this manner our Lord spoke of future events.

In Matthew 25 he speaks of to his followers of the judge final judgment and the sheep on his right hand and the goats on His left and he says of the sheep in verse 34. Then shall the king say unto them on my right hand on his right hand.

Come you blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. That's that's a motivation. I Suppose though the one that stands out the most to me from this passage as I preached.

Was.

What I preached at my grandmother's funeral from John 14 is a very familiar passage to all of us. In a passage I brought in the hope That those of my relatives Outside of Christ would be caused to stir their thinking About their standing with God the one who was their righteous judge and the one who would he call them to himself as followers or Would they be as the goats for Matthew that are cast into outer darkness?

In that John 14 passage our Lord has just told his disciples one of you is going to betray me and Then he's gone on to tell him that he's leaving and the place that he's going to they can't go.

And.

Yet.

Just consider how downcast They were whenever he hurt whenever they heard his words and yet he doesn't just leave them in this This state but he speaks words of encouragement and these are words that are based on future events.

John 14 1 he says let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God believe also in me in my father's house or many mansions if it were not so would have told you I Go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you into myself that where I am there.

You may be also and whither I go, you know in the way, you know. And Thomas saith Lord, we know not whither thou goest and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him. I am the way the truth and the life.

No man cometh unto the father, but by me. Just a few verses later in verse 13. He says and whatsoever. You shall ask in my name that will I do that the father may be glorified in the Son and Just so they knew then they weren't to be left comfortless in verse 26 he says but the comforter which is the Holy Ghost Whom the father will send in my name.

He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever. I have said unto you. So what is our Lord just done here, but spoken words of hope words full of power to encourage. Words to reshape our outlook on life and how we live it because we need to see clearly as Possible if we're to live faithfully here in the present.

Let me read verses 18 to 25 again as a group the eyes of your understanding being enlightened. That you may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of his glory? Of his inheritance and the Saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us word who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he hath wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and Set him at his own right hand in heavenly places far above all Principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also and that which is to come and hath put all things under his feet and Gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body the fullness of him that filleth all in all.

So now what we read here is the second matter He would have our eyes enlightened to look on and the verse the end of verse 18 says and what? The riches of the glory of his inheritance and the Saints and although some may say that he's referring To God seeing us as an inheritance and he does see us as a chosen possession.

Still that doesn't fit.

Into our text here where we're reading for the other two petitions are referring to blessings that we receive from him.

And.

Consider this the inheritance they then had in Christ Was more than likely all the inheritance they would be receiving as no doubt their families Would have disinherited them after their conversion if they were from a Jewish family.

And then also those of them that were Gentiles People who were formerly steeped in the worship of a false. God practicing dark arts Manufacturing idols these people would have either burned their spells and books or abandoned their Diana craft and with them a lucrative living.

And so it is that Paul here one who may very well have been Disinherited by his own family after his conversion Seeks to turn their sights Towards what is theirs in Christ? That which cannot be taken from him.

And having this laser focus on not on what lays behind but what lays straight ahead on a life without regrets. And What we need not lose sight of ourselves is that Paul is not writing to the lost. That they would have their eyes open but the the letter is written to Christians people people who they have seen the light the light of the gospel has opened their eyes and Yet, there is so much more to see When we're first converted.

We're a lot like the blind man of Bethsaida spoken of in Matthew's or Mark's gospel in chapter 8 where it says of our Lord in verse 22 and he cometh to Bethsaida and They bring a blind man unto him and besought him to teach him.

And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town and when he had spit on his eyes He put his hands on his eyes and he asked him if he saw a lot. And he looked up and said I see men as trees walking.

After that, he put his hands on his eyes again and made him look up and he was restored and saw every man clearly. When we're first saved we're a lot like this man upon the Lord's first touch. He was no longer fully blind.

But still his vision was such that the men that he saw that were walking around look like trees. There's there's a big difference there. And so As a child I had prior to my diagnosis of very poor vision and receiving my first pair of glasses I when I received them I can remember how Amazing it was to see so clearly.

I can remember turning Off from our street a street off of ours onto the street that we lived on. Sitting in the like a big dog sitting in the front seat because it was just me and my mom coming back from the doctor.

And looking out the window and then looking at my mom saying I can see the leaves on the trees. That was it was just like an epiphany. You supposed to be able to see the leaves on the trees. Because I was used to seeing Trees walking so yeah after three years of elementary school.

People thinking that I was stupid they found out I was blind and stupid so. So anyway, I mean to be able to go to the doctor's office and literally Not be able to sit down and when he says what's the lowest letter that you can read and not know that there's an E up there it's a big there's a big difference and So just like this man or myself physically there's so much more to be seen Spiritually in this new life.

We have been brought into in Christ because it's endlessly rich. We look and we look and we look we look in the same Bible. We've been looking in the same Bible for the last couple thousand years and still we look.

And we never find the bottom and this would be why Paul who up to this point he's already basically give him a degrees worth of Instruction in the gospel. What is he praying though? Now now he's still praying that the eyes of their their understanding would be open.

That God would give them new hope and this amazing inheritance and and now that this final petition of verse 19 He says what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us word who believe according to the working of his mighty power?

I think to a certain extent. Most of us would agree that we have a tendency to equate power with money.

And.

As we have already discussed many of the early Christians had experienced financial loss because of their faith. And it is in this financially challenged state that these Christians are in that Paul Seeks to have them grasp the reality that there is great power available to them even in their weakened state in Christ.

Paul himself has was no stranger to their dilemma and it was while he was in it He realized that there was strength to be found in this weakness. And in fact, he actually gloried in it. 2nd 2nd Corinthians 12 9 and 10.

He said unto me my grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness most gladly. Therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in the infirmities and reproaches and necessities and persecutions and distresses For Christ's sake.

For when I am weak, then I am strong. And then when we are in it Do we always?

Feel.

Like it's a good thing When we're in those distresses when we're in reproaches necessities persecutions. Doesn't always seem that way at least it doesn't to me but by faith. By God's Word we are. So his encouragement to them was that this one Who he has made known this one that dwells in them the Holy Spirit of God.

He was greater than that which was in the world and. They needed these words of security then just as much as we as God's people need them today tonight right now. The form or the degree of the power that's coming against us it that may change with time.

But the reality of the presence as well as the hostility to the gospel. It's all the same and it's for this reason we need to have our eyes open not so much to the fact that God has power. But as the text reads that they may be opened to what is the exceeding greatness of his power?

To us Who believe according to the working of his mighty power? It's not just enough to be able to say I believe God has power. But I believe that God has power. Towards me to us word in the next few verses.

We see how Paul spells out for us in detail the power standard of what she's speaking and beginning with Christ's resurrection. Then his exaltation. Finally is victory over all powers that are or will ever be so in verse 20 and we'll preface it with with beginning with 19 be according to the working of his mighty power and Then verse 20 which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead.

So as amazing and wonderful as the thought as this is. That Christ who was dead and buried was raised up from death and we would all say Amen, and amen. Still we've got to remember that these these are Christians and as such they would have known this already.

He was at the center of the gospel. So what appears to be Paul's design here is to see that although that they have not yet been resurrected bodily as Christ still God's resurrection power was already working in their lives by the by the means of spiritual resurrection.

This I mean, this is the testimony of our baptism. We get up and we say we're buried with Christ in the likeness of his death and what? Raised in the glorious likeness of his resurrection. It's it's the same power that raised Christ from the dead raised him from the grave.

That's the same power that works in us. Look over at chapter 2 verse 5. Even when we were dead and sins Hath quickened us. This is he he has made us alive together with Christ by grace. You are saved.

We see our spiritual death Being overcome by Christ who makes men spiritually alive. Next we see a picture of Christ's exaltation at the end of verse 20 and Set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.

Paul didn't just come up with a neat way of sharing a word picture of Christ's position with the God the Father. But instead he draws from Psalms 110 verse 1 a Psalm of David That reads the Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

And the reason that this sounds so familiar to us. Is that it's not just found here. But the New Testament writers allude to this or refer to it directly no less than 30 times. So the old adage that Men need to be told things twice.

Men need to be told things twice. We all need to be told again and again and again because we're apt to forget and if we forget then we're apt to lapse into whatever we've We've forgotten. No doubt the Holy Spirit is driving home the importance through these men.

That Jesus our Savior sits at the right hand of God fully enthroned in a majesty and power. So, why isn't he standing beside God the Father instead of sitting his works complete, right? The writer of Hebrews put it this way.

Hebrews 1 1. God who at sundry times in a divers manner spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son Whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom also he made the worlds.

Who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power. When he had by himself purged our sins Sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high Christ's work as our sacrificing priests is finished.